Emma Britt, 8th grade student at Skipstone Academy and McDonough native, recently discovered her calling in the form of racing. 

  Prior to discovering racing, her parents, Curt and Lindsey Britt, expressed that Emma had not yet found her “niche” in any sport she previously tried. 

  “Anything that she’s ever done, she’s just never been obsessed with it,” said Curt.

  However, when her father approached her this past year with the idea of giving racing a chance, Emma agreed.

  “I didn’t really have anything to do with it [racing] at the beginning. I didn’t really care for it until he [Curt] was like, ‘Do you want to try racing?’” said Emma. “So, I tried it and I really liked it.”

  According to Curt, after their first time on the racetrack, Emma “got the racing bug” and has not looked back since.

  “When I hopped in the race car and made laps, it just felt fun for me and enjoyable and something that I felt like I could do,” said Emma. 

  In the years before Emma was born, Curt himself was an experienced racer.

  From the age of 16, he raced “everything from mini stock to late model” vehicles. 

  “I always loved racing, even from the time I was a small child. When I starting racing, you had to be 16 to drive anything other than a go kart,” said Curt. “When I turned 16, I got my first race car and that’s when I started racing.”

  From 1992 until about 2005, Curt raced at at Lanier National Speedway in Gainesville.

  However, he had to make the tough decision to end his racing career following two strokes in 2007.

  “That pretty much sidelined my driving. But I still worked on [race trucks] and helped other people, but never really got completely out of the racing,” said Curt. 

  He opened Curt Britt Motorsports in 2003, a company that works with aspiring race car drivers, and a facet of Curt’s racing life that Emma grew up experiencing.

  “I’ve got a fleet of race vehicles that I rent out to young, up and coming drivers that are trying to advance from a level below what we have to a level above. We’re just a stepping stone,” said Curt.

  Emma began racing Bandoleros in the Rookie division at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February of 2020.

  However, due to COVID-19 and races being rescheduled, Emma has had a slower start to her racing career.

  Since May of 2020, she has run about 10 races, receiving a Top 3 finish in her third race as well as in a race that took place this past week, on Thursday, July 23. 

  Emma proudly displays the number 38 on her race car, in honor of her father, as he previously raced under number 38.

  “My number, 38, it was my dad’s old number,” said Emma. “It was my dad’s number when he started, so I wanted to carry that legacy and show him that I loved him a lot. I chose the number and it means a lot to me.”

  Through racing, Emma has discovered a new bond with her father, as he is not just one of her major supporters, but her racing coach as well.

  “I never really had a strong bond with him before as much as I do now. It can be frustrating at times because he’s just been around it a long time, unlike me. I’m new to it but I’m learning as I go. He’s teaching me new things everyday,” said Emma. “But it’s very good because now I can have a really good bond with him that I probably would have never had before.”

  Emma’s parents are prepared to support her throughout her racing journey and are very happy that she has finally found her passion.

  “From the competition standpoint, it’s nice to see her want to do better. That’s all you can really ask for is that she be passionate about what she’s doing and always trying to do the best she can,” said Curt.

  “I love watching her. I’m so proud of her for finally finding something that she loves and strives to do,” said Lindsey. “As a parent, the one thing you want is your kid to have something that they enjoy doing. We’ve waited for 13 years for her to find something that was her thing.” 

  Curt and Lindsey also own Serendipity of McDonough. Their business is currently a sponsor of Emma’s racing.

  In this past year, Emma has looked up to her many racing mentors for advice and support, to include her father, and Cody Haskin, Josh Hicks, and Hunter Johnson, who have all raced with Curt Britt Motorsports.

  She hopes to one day race professionally in NASCAR. Emma also plans to go to college to study engineering.

  To follow Emma’s racing journey, visit her Facebook page, @Emmabritt38.